Seed package and display means therefor



Dec. 18, 1934. F. D. SCANDLING ET AL 1,984,434

SEED PACKAGE AND DISPLAY MEANS THEREFOR Filed June 12, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l IZEZZZZZ:

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SEED PACKAGE AND DISPLAY MEANS THEREFOR Filed June 12, 1535 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 O00 O00 OOOOOKOQE flair/1 ;TORNE Y Patented Dec. 18, 1934 UNITED STATES SEED PACKAGE AND DISPLAY MEANS THEREFOR Fredric D. Scandling, Brighton, and Raymond L. Van de Vate, Rochester, N. Y.

Application June 12, 1933, Serial No. 675,390

4 Claims. ((31. 206-47) The present invention relates to seed packages and display means therefor, and has for one object to provide a combined seed package and plant marker constructed as a unit and in a manner which will permit the seed holding portion of the package to be readily detached from the part constituting the marker at the time of planting the seed, the marker which may contain any desired data being then employed in the usual manner with respect to the seed bed or the row in which the seeds are planted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combinedseed package and planting tool, the package being detachably connected with the tool andseparated therefrom at the time of planting, thus avoiding the expense and inconvenience of obtaining a separate tool for use in planting the seed.

A further object. of the invention is to provide a combined seed package and plant marker which is of simple construction, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and which is of such proportions as to occupy a minimum of space, thus facilitating economical display of the packages and the markers attached thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved display stand for the packages constructed in such a manner 'asto cooperate with the markers to facilitate application to and removal of the packages from the stand.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved display means for the packages which is of simple construction, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and which is designed to hold a maximum number of the packages in a minimum of space and to support the packages in a manner to prominently display the characteristic markings. thereon.

To these and other ends the invention reside in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of i a combined seed packageand'holder therefor embodying one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation'of the same;

Fig. .3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the seed carrying portion of the package detached;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the combined package and holder shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a display stand or rack for the packages;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on line 66' of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken on line '77 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary front elevation of a modified form of display stand;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional elevation on line 9-9 of Fig. 8, drawn to an enlarged scale, and

Fig. 10 is a sideelevation of the display stand shown inFig. 8.

The same reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The present invention has for its object to avoid the inconvenience of employing separate seed packages and plant markers as heretofore provided and also hasfor its object to reduce the chances of mistakes by the incorrect use of the markers, or in other words, the placing of a marker inposition to designate a plant of one kind for one of another kind, which frequently occurs where the markers are separate from the packages and where different kinds of seed are planted in a single bed at one time.

Another advantage of the present device lies in the reduction of the combined cost of manufacturing the markers andthe packages. This is made possible for the reason thatheretofore the labels for; the markers have been printed separately from the packages and applied to the markers independently of thepackages. With the present invention theextra expense of separatelyprinting the labels and packages is avoided since in the printing of the packages the name of the plant or other desired data is printed on a particular portion of the package which is that part to which the holder constituting the stake or standard of the marker is attached. i

A further advantage lies in thefact that the package and marker may be displayed as a unit and may also be purchased as a single article and readily separated at the time of planting the seed.

Furthermore, a decided advantage is afforded by assembling the packages upon the display stand in a manner to display the markers as well as the packages, whereby the purchaser may be made acquainted with the fact that he can secure the marker and the package in the form of a single article and obtain the advantages of having them combined in this manner.

Another feature of the invention is that of employing a display stand for the seed holding packages which constitutes in effect a container or receptacle in which to ship the packages and one which can readily be conditioned for shipment merely by covering the front of the stand with cardboard or the like and securing it by means of a string or otherwise as desired. Thus the expense of employing boxes or crates in which to ship the seed packages and the display stands is avoided, it being understood that the combined packages and markers may be readily assembled upon the display stand at the factory or point of manufacture and shipped to their destination without packing or crating in the usual manner as has heretofore been necessary.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates generally an envelope or any suitable form of package for holding the seed, which may have printed thereon any desired data or markings relating to the particular seed to be placed within the package. The main or body portion 11 of the package has connected therewith a detachable portion 12 with which is connected a holder 13 preferably comprising a stake or standard as best shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. The portion 12 of the package and the holder 13 connected therewith constitutes what is herein termed the marker, which is shown in Fig. 3 and from which the body of the envelope has been detached. Detachment of one part of the envelope from the other is facilitated by weakening it along the line of juncture'of the portions 11 and '12, as, for example, by scoring or by perforating the envelope as indicated at 14.

Any desired data may be applied to the portion 12 of the package such, for example, as the name of the plant corresponding to the seed contained in the envelope as indicated at 15 in Figs. 1 and 3.

The holder or standard 13 is preferably made of relatively thin sheet metal of the rust-proof variety and may be attached to the portion 12 of the package in any suitable manner, preferably by bending the upper end of the holder to form thereon the U-shaped portion 16 which is clamped upon the part 12 of the package by the application of pressure to the opposite sides of said U-shaped portion.

The standard 13 is stiffened and strengthened by means of a longitudinally extending rib 17 formed thereon'which extends throughout the greater portion of the length ofthe standard. The lower endof the standard is provided with a spade-like porti0n'18 which, taken with the handle portion 13, constitutes a planting tool adapted for digging holes or furrows in the ground in which to plant the seed. The ground Working portion 18 is tapered at its sides as indicated at 19 for engagement with spaced members on the display stand shown in Fig. 5 for a purpose described hereinafter,

The upper end of the standard is oifset inwardly at 20 to afford a slight space 21 between the standard and the body of the package 10 as shown in Fig.2 whereby to facilitate appli--' cation of the package to the display stand shown in Figs. 8 and 9. 7

By tapering the standard 13 at its lower end as shown, for example, in Fig. 3 it can be readily inserted within the ground after planting the seed, whereby it will function as a marker for displaying the name orother data relating to the plants resulting from the planting of the seed.

The display stand shown in Figs. 5 to '7 inclusive constitutes a relatively thin frame-like structure comprising a board or plate member 22 having side strips 23 and a lower end strip 24 thereon to provide a recessed panel for the reception of the combined seed packages and markers, the upper end of the frame being provided with a suitable finishing plate 25 as shown in Fig. 5 which may be employed for advertising purposes if desired.

Any suitable means may be provided on the display stand for the reception of the seed packages such, for example, as the upper and lower supports 26 and 2'7, formed of strap iron or other suitable material. The upper supports 26 are bent to form U-shaped members 28 for receiving the packages 10 and are provided with end and connecting portions 29 which are seated upon the frame plate 22 and secured thereon by means of screws 30.

The lower members 27 are provided with relatively narrow U-shaped portions 31 which have end and connecting portions 32 secured in engagement with the frame plate 22 by means of the screws 33.

The packages are assembled upon the upper and lower supports as shown in Figs. 5 and '7 and are held against downward displacement through engagement of the tapered edges 19 of the spade-like portions 18 of the standards with the side portions of the U-shaped members 31.

The envelopes or packages 10 are received by the U-shaped members 28 of the upper supports 26 and are held against lateral or transverse displacement by the side portions of said U-shaped members.

It will be seen, therefore, that the packages can be readily assembled upon and removed from the supports and that they are held thereon in position to display not only the name of the plants and other data which may be printed on the envelopes, but also a portion of the planting tool or marker, as indicated in Fig. 5

The modified display stand shown in Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive comprises a frame-like structure including spaced front and back plates 34 and 35, respectively, which are connected by suitable side members 36 and also by the upper and lower end members 37 and 38, as shown in Fig. 10. The plate 34 is also provided at its front edges with forwardly projecting strips 39 whereby to afford a recessed panel for the reception of the seed packages. The top of the panel is provided with a finishing plate 40 which may be employed for advertising purposes, if desired.

The stand is adapted to be held in upright display position by a brace 41 hinged to the back thereof, as shown in Fig. 10.

The front plate 34 is preferably formed of thin sheet material such, for example, as metal and has a plurality of vertically extending rows of openings 42 therein which are preferably formed by striking outwardly the tongue-like portions 43 of the plate as best shown in Fig. 9. The openings are provided to permit the standards of the markers to be inserted therethrough to occupy a position in rear of the plate, as shown in Fig. 9, the packages 10 overlying the front face of the plate as indicated in Figs. 8 and 9. It will be seen that with this arrangement the envelopes 10 are supported in overlapping relation whereby a relatively large number of packages can be shown on a comparatively small display stand, the standards 13 being supported within the stand where they are protected during shipment.

In this modification, as in the arrangement shown in Fig. 5, the stand, with the packages thereon, can be readily prepared for shipment merely by placing cardboard material over the front of the stand and securing it by means of a string or otherwise, as desired. If preferred the entire stand may be wrapped in paper and shipped as an ordinary package whereby to avoid excess weight and the additional shipping charges incident thereto.

We claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a seed package having a data holding portion and a detachable seed carrying portion, and a support attached to the data holding portion of the package and cooperating therewith to form a plant marker for use subsequent to the planting of the seed.

2. In a device of the class described, a seed package having a data holding portion and a body portion, the package being weakened along the line of juncture of said portions to facilitate separation of one portion from the other, and

a standard attached to the data holding portion of the package and adapted for insertion in the ground and for cooperation with said data holding portion to afford a plant marker subsequent to the planting of the seed.

3. A seed package comprising an envelope for holding seeds, said envelope having a name portion which may be separated from the remaining portion thereof, and a stake member of sheet material clamped over an edge of said name portion so that said stake member may be inserted in the ground with said name portion of -said envelope attached thereto to form a plant marker.

4. A seed package comprising an envelope for holding seeds, said envelope having a data carrying portion and means demarking said data carrying portion from the remaining portion of said envelope, and a stake member secured to said data carrying portion for use in supporting said data carrying portion when it is detached from said remaining portion.

FREDRIC D. SCANDLING. RAYMOND L. VAN DE VATE. 

